Expressing Doesn’t Have To

Few days ago I learned how to express ‘ have to’ or ‘ I must do’ which is in the form of infinitive form of verb+ 야 해요. This time it’s about saying ‘I don’t have to’. It was not as simple as using the negative verb + 야 해요, instead for this expression, the negative verb + 도 is used. Using one of my favorite verbs, 먹다 (meokda – to eat) here are examples:

Short negative – 안 먹어도 (an meokeodo)

Long negative – 먹지 않아도 (mokji anado)

The above examples both mean even if I don’t eat. The final verb can be used are 돼요 (dwaeyo), 괜찮아요 (gwaenchanayo) or 좋아요 (choayo) to complete the thought — it doesn’t matter, it’s alright or it’s okay. Using the verb above here is a sample sentence construction: